Panels With History: Making Fresh New Comics from the Past! - In-person - Earn SSL! Drop In! Snacks!

Want to make a comic? Not sure where to start? Learn here!

Local graphic novelist Sierra Barnes turned her webcomic into a historical fantasy graphic novel series from major publisher Dark Horse—Hans Vogel Is Dead Vol. 1 is available now! Questions welcome!

Teens, tweens & adults welcome! Want to make a comic but not sure where to start? Have a niche interest you love to talk about but looking for ways to turn it into a story? Join local cartoonist Sierra Barnes in a talk about how her love of history turned into a career in comics: how she uses research in her work, her experiences with both making and publishing comics including her books HANS VOGEL IS DEAD Vols. 1 and 2, and learn about the real-life history of women in comics for Women's History Month! Sierra Barnes's second book HANS VOGEL IS DEAD Vol. 2 will be out through Dark Horse Comics this July, and HANS VOGEL IS DEAD Volume 1 is available now through your local library. This talk will include a Q&A session.

This special MoComCon lead-up event will take place in the 3rd Floor Meeting Room.

No registration needed to attend, drop-ins welcome!

Earn SSL & enjoy snacks! For SSL, help design library programs & help with cleanup/takedown!

HANS VOGEL IS DEAD launched as a webcomic in 2015 and continues to be updated at Sierra's website. As of November 2023, Sierra is a Resident Artist with the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, VA.

Sierra Barnes weaves a rich anti-fascist fairytale about the importance of recognising past wrongs, even (especially) when it's easier not to. German fighter pilot and war hero Hans Vogel follows orders and doesn't ask questions. It's worked out well for him... so far. But when his plane is shot down in the middle of a World War II air raid over London, he is dead before he hits the ground. And that's only the beginning of his problems. His life has been spent in service of an evil empire and its effects have reached far beyond what he could have imagined. Accompanied by Reineke, a young girl cursed in the body of a fox, he sets out to unlearn the fascism and cruelty he learned in life, undo its power in the fairytale world, and maybe, just maybe, do better this time around.

Sierra is a historian-turned-comic-creator who currently lives in Washington, DC making webcomics and print comics based on history and folklore. She is particularly interested in the relationship between history, mythology, and memory, and her comics (including HANS VOGEL IS DEAD) reflect this. Sierra graduated in 2014 from the College of William & Mary with a double major in History and German Studies, and graduated in August 2019 with a MFA in Comics from California College of the Arts. When she’s not making comics, you can usually find her haunting boba shops and museums like a very nerdy ghost.

Sponsored by Friends of the Library, Montgomery County, MD, Inc.

This program is a MoComCon event. MoComCon is a two-day event celebrating all things comics, graphic novels, and fandoms! To view more information and events, check out the MoComCon website!

Questions about this program? Contact Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library at 240-773-9420.

Looking for more fun things to do at MCPL? Celebrate Earth Month, meet live animals and earn SSL at Careers with Animals on Wednesday, April 1st at McGee Library, presented by Echoes of Nature! Elementary, middle & high school students discover exciting options for careers with animals! Free tickets required! Participants should arrive early to receive a ticket, tickets will be available at the 3rd Floor Tech Bar at 3:30 PM the same day.

MoComCon 2026 is coming! Join us at Germantown Library and BlackRock Center for the Arts on March 20th & March 21st!

Take a look at these MoComCon resources for suggested graphic novels and nonfiction for kids, teens, and adults!

You don't need a library card to attend these events, but you should get one to take full advantage of MCPL services. Don't have a card right now? No worries! Find out how to Get a Library Card.

Accommodation Requests

People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing should request English-language captioning or sign-language interpretation at least five days before the library-sponsored program they plan to attend. Contact the Assistant Facilities and Accessibility Program Manager at 240-777-0002 with all other accommodation requests.

cm 1.1 01/03/2023

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